Bulldogs Too Strong For Wobbly Wolves

The Canterbury Bulldogs have taken out back to back premierships, defeating the Windsor Wolves 24-12 at a wet ANZ stadium this afternoon.

Bulldogs halfback Josh Reynolds was involved in everything, both in attack and defence, chasing his own kicks, supporting his forwards, and tackling anything that ran his way.

The Bulldogs came out of the sheds firing - putting on 10 unanswered points within the first 15 minutes. Before adding another try just before halftime.

The Wolves had the last opportunity of the first half, with Craig Trindall looking to kick or his outside backs, however he attempted to kick and step at the same time, and the ball went to ground.

This pretty much told the story of the day. The Bulldog's defence kept pressure on the Wolves for the whole match, not allowing them any room to move. It took the Wolves almost 60 minutes to put any points on the board, when a Craig Trindall kick was taken well by Jesse Sene-efao, who crashed down over the line.

However the Wolves never really looked in the game. A late consolation try to David Tangata-Toa made the scoreline look more respectable, but after conceding 16 points in the first half, the result never looked in doubt.

It was a heated encounter at times, with Corey Payne placed on report for landing a punch on Maurice Blair's chin. Another incident was placed on report when Aaron Sweeney was sin binned in the final minutes for an alleged headbutt.

LeagueUnlimited.com Live Commentary Welcome to ANZ Stadium for this wet Grand Final Day in Sydney. Our coverage of the day kicks off in just a few minutes, with the NSW Cup clash between the Cantebury Bulldogs and the Windsor Wolves.

The Wolves head into this match as underdogs, while the Bulldogs will be looking for back to back premierships.
KICK OFF! And the game is underway. The Wolves have first use of the ball.
In their past two meetings this season, the Bulldogs have run out winners in both matches. In Round 5, Canterbury won 30 to 24, while Round 19 saw the Bulldogs win again 46 to 12.
3 min: TRY Some brilliant support play off a Tim Browne offload has seen the first try of the game, with Bulldogs fullback Trent Cutler reaping the rewards. Cutler scores under the posts, and adds the extras.Canterbury Bulldogs 6-0
6 min: A penalty to the Wolves sees them in great attacking field position, only 10 metres from the tryline. They then get another penalty, and are on the attack.
7 min: The Wolves force a line drop out, and get a repeat set. A deep drop out lands with the Wolves on the halfway line.
8 min: Opportunity lost, as the Wolves are taken over the sideline. Pressure is released on the Bulldogs.
9 min: Bulldogs on the attack again deep in the Wolves' half. They kick for the in-goal on the last, but the kick is cleaned up by the Wolves' winger.
14 min: Trindall dummies inside, with the Wolves on attack, but he's brought down in a strong ball and all tackle.

The ball is spread wide to Sandor Earl, but he is taken over the sideline close to the line by the Bulldogs cover defense.
14 min: The Bulldogs get a penalty to piggy back them out of their danger zone. A spectacular milking somersault by Tim Browne ensures the ref is aware of a slight leg pull by the Wolves defence.
16 min: TRY TRY Canterbury Bulldogs

With the Bulldogs on attack 5 metres out from the tryline, Josh Reynolds sends the ball out to the left of field, and backs up to score unopposed in the corner.

His attempt to convert his own try is unsuccessful.Canterbury Bulldogs 10-0
17 min: Back and forth at the moment, neither team really making any major inroads. Considering the amount of rain the field has taken earlier today, both teams' ball handling is very impressive.
22 min: The Wolves look like scoring after a clever chip chase from halfback Craig Trindall. However the Bulldogs just manage to clean up, and make 30 metres in response.

In injury news, Tim Browne is off the field for the Bulldogs with a badly dislocated thumb.
23 min: The Bulldogs are only two metres out from the line, with some desperate defence from the Wolves just managing to drag down the attacking raid short. Reynolds kicks for the in goal area, and the Wolves tap the ball dead. Line drop out.
24 min: A little bit of fire in the belly, as Taakimoeaka drops the ball in a tackle, and his teammates take offense to a few words that are said by the Wolves defenders. It all comes back to a simmer fairly quickly though.
25 min: Trindall forces another drop out from the Bulldogs, as Trent Cutler is forced into the in goal. He's hurt in the tackle, and is very slow to get to his feet.
25 min: The Wolves currently trail by 10 points, but would be keen to score next. The Bulldogs have averaged 34 points per game this season, however the Wolves have scored 31 themselves. We're likely in for some high scores later in the match.
26 min: The simmer comes back to the boil, with a few pushes and shoves from either side. The man in pink sorts things out rather quickly,
27 min: Maurice Blair sends a grubber through look for his chasers, but the kick looks too strong right off the boot. It runs dead, and the Bulldogs get themselves a 20 metre drop out. The angle running by the Bulldogs backrowers is currently causing the Wolves' defence some serious headaches.
29 min: Blair attempts a different kick this time, putting up a high ball for Trent Cutler to contend with. Cutler does well to take a difficult catch, and the Bulldogs get another 20m restart.
30 min: Sandor Earl gets a fingertip to a Reynolds grubber kick, and the Wolves are forced to take a line drop out. However the Bulldogs make a mistake early in the tackle count, and Earl breathes a sigh of relief.
31 min: Trindall puts a high cross field kick for Sene-efao, who comes down with the ball, but the Bulldogs manage to save a try by dragging the ball carrier down and wrapping him up.
33 min: A quick tap off a penalty further down field, and the Bulldogs catch some napping Wolves' defence, making some easy metres down the sideline. Bulldogs heavily on attack late in the tackle count.
35 min: TRY Bulldogs five-eighth Rhys Jack dives through and scoops up a kick rebound, before planting the ball over the tryling to further increase the lead.

Reynolds adds a further two points, and the Bulldogs now lead by 16 late in the first half.Canterbury Bulldogs 16-0
37 min: The Bulldogs send the ball out wide to the right of the field, but Heka Nanai can't hang on to a poor pass that lands on his bootlaces. Windsor get the ball around the haflway line.
38 min: The Wolves again try a chip over the top looking for Sandor Earl, Earl toes the ball on but it dribbles over the sideline.
39 min: The Wolves have their last attacking set of the half, with the ball heading to Trindall. Trindall puts in one of the trickiest moves of his career, dropping the ball onto his foot while sidestepping - more commonly known as a knockon.

The whistle blows, and the players head towards the sheds.
40 min: HALF TIME: The Bulldogs look well on the way to winning this game, scoring 16 points in the first half. Their backrowers and Josh Reynolds seem to be the difference so far. For the Wolves, the last tackle options have been particularly disappointing. A couple of kicks that dribbled over the dead ball line, a few grubbers that were delivered without pressure, and the 'kick' from Trindall have meant the Wolves have been unabled to score points. The Wolves' runners at times look disinterested as well, over running their ball players, or simply not being in a position to receive the ball. The Wolves will be looking to score first in the second half, and not let the Bulldogs get any further in front.

Also, don't forget that LeagueUnlimited is also covering the Toyota Cup and NRL Grand Finals after this match. Afterwards, feel free to discuss the game with other fans in our Front Row Forums.
41 min: The Bulldogs get first use of the ball in the second half, with the wind and rain at their backs. The Wolves have a lot of work to do if they want to stay in this match.
44 min: The Wolves get a repeat set just short of the tryline, but the Bulldogs defence is too strong - working off their own line and putting pressure on the Wolves. A mistake is forced, and the Bulldogs get the scrum feed on the 10 metre line.
45 min: Handling errors are starting to creep into the game now, as the rain starts hammering down again. The Bulldogs knock the ball on shortly after the last scrum, and the Wolves get another opportunity to score their first points of the match.
46 min: Maurice Blair tries to muscle his way over the line, but is wrapped up by 3 defenders. As the ball shifts to the left of the field, the Maurice Blair play the ball winds up in a fight, with Corey Payne and Maurice trading shoves and nudges

Corey Payne throws the first punch, and Maurice Blair wears in on the top lip. Blair is sent to the blood bin to get cleaned up, While Corey Payne, is placed on report for his boxing demonstration.
47 min: The Wolves get the penalty, and have a sniff of their first points. Yet again the Bulldogs defence comes up trumps, with some effective slide defence and strong cover defence proving too much for the Wolves' attack.
50 min: Tim Browne is back on the field. It seems his finger has been put back in place.

Trindall kicks from behind the 40 metre line, looking for a 40/20, but the ball crosses the line about two metres short.
53 min: Still no points for the Wolves, and no points for either team in the second half.

The Bulldogs dropped the ball on their own tryline, gifting the Wolves an opportunity, but some very heavy defence sees the Wolves drop the ball on only the second tackle.
54 min: The Bulldogs are working from a simple game plan in the second half. Run from dummy half, kick long, chase hard, and tackle aggressively.
57 min: 57 minutes into the game and the Wolves look to be falling behind the Bulldogs. There appears to be no breaking the Bulldogs' defence, and frustration appears to be creeping into the game.

Ryan Walker is hurt in a heavy tackle - his leg folding the wrong way under him. He heads to the sideline to have it checked out.
59 min: TRY And finally, 59 minutes into the game, the Wolves cross the line. Jesse Sene-efao takes a Trindall kick, and crashes down over the line at the left of the field to put the Wolves' first points on the board.
Trindall lines up to the conversion. He swings it from right to left, and the ball scrapes the inside of the goalposts, adding the extras. The Wolves are within 10.Canterbury Bulldogs 16-6
61 min: From the kickoff, the Wolves get a penalty to help them out of their own half, but in a big blow the kick for touch fails to find the sideline. The Bulldogs tidy up, and start their set.

At the end of the set, Reynolds looks where he is kicking instead of at the ball, and knocks on. The Wolves get the ball back at the halfway line.
65 min: PENALTY GOAL The Bulldogs get a penalty 4 metres from the tryline, for the marker not being square. From where i'm sitting, it didn't look like a penalty, but i'm not wearing a pink shirt.

Josh Reynolds kicks the goal from straight in front, to bring the margin back to 12.Canterbury Bulldogs 18-6
66 min: The Wolves attempt a short kickoff, and are rewarded by the Bulldogs making a mistake. The Wolves get the scrum feed on the halfway line, but make two mistakes before the first tackle is completed. Eventually, after being dragged backwards 15 metres, the Wolves lose the ball, and the Bulldogs take possession.
69 min: The Bulldogs set themselves up for a field goal, but Reynolds changes his mind at the last second, instead running the ball and attempting to kick the ball over the line instead. Trindall charges down the kick, regathers, and runs 15 metres before being dragged down by Nathan Smith. The Wolves have the ball.
72 min: TRY With the Wolves heavily on attack, Reynolds takes an intercept, and runs 90 metres to score near the posts. The Bulldogs look to have the game wrapped up.

From just wide of the posts, he converts his own try.Canterbury Bulldogs 24-6
74 min: Watene does well to recover after dropping the ball backward - before being dragged down in a high tackle. A scuffle ensues, and Aaron Sweeney is pulled aside and spoken to about headbutting a Bulldogs player. He is put on report and sent from the field for 10 minutes.
77 min: Reynolds puts a cross field kick in looking for his winger, but its too strong, and the ball runs over the sideline. The Wolves have the scrum 30 metres from their own line, and are helped downfield by a penalty. They find touch this time, 20 metres from the opposition try line.
78 min: TRY The Wolves finally decide to run towards the holes in the Bulldogs defence, and David Tangata-Toa crosses the line untouched.

Trindall adds the extras, but its too little, too late.Canterbury Bulldogs 24-12
80 min: FULL TIME: The siren sounds, and the Bulldogs run out victorious in the NSW Cup, with a 24-12 win over the Windsor Wolves. Back to back premierships for the Canterbury side.

Keep your browser pointed to LeagueUnlimited for the afternoon, as we bring you live coverage of both the Toyota Cup and NRL Grand Finals, as well as fan discussion all afternoon on our Front Row Forums.